Verdi’s “Aida”

There’s a moment in PBS’ “Downton Abbey” where the Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by the redoubtable Maggie Smith, proclaims as the final touches are being put on a particularly elaborate dinner: “Nothing succeeds like excess.”

The dowager would have approved of the San Diego Opera’s over-the-top production of “Aida,” which opened Saturday at the Civic Theatre. Verdi’s beloved masterpiece is the very definition of grand opera with its epic scale and massive chorus. But Zandra Rhodes’ explosively colorful sets and costumes, already seen at the Houston Grand Opera, the English National Opera and the San Francisco Opera, take it a step beyond grand.

It’s clear from the first scene, when a procession of male, bare-chested attendants (or were they priests?) wearing wide, shiny skirts passes by, that this wasn’t going to be your standard, business-class trip to Egypt “during the time of the Pharaohs” (in Verdi’s words).

Of course you already knew that from Rhodes’ playful sets, with their vivid colors (lots of gold) and motifs based on hieroglyphs.

But as somebody once said (and some people think it was Richard Rodgers), nobody leaves the theater humming the scenery. What made this production particularly grand was a uniformly excellent cast and conductor Daniele Callegari’s canny treatment of the score.

Callegari, making a welcome debut with the company, is apparently a man who likes contrasts, so he tends to push the faster sections (like the third-act duet between Aida and her father, Amonasro), and then will take a little extra off the slower scene that follows.

He miscalculated in the opening of the first act, slowing down the opera’s signature tenor aria, “Celeste Aida,” to the point it almost stood still. But by the time the chorus filled the stage, and with the first statement of “Gloria ai Numi,” Callegari and the San Diego Symphony were locked in.

As for that cast, Walter Fraccaro (as Radames) revealed a big, bright sound. Especially in the first act, he seemed to sing at only two dynamic levels (soft and loud) and it’s not an instrument with a great deal of warmth. But there’s no denying his sheer vocal power and impressive upper register.

In the title role, Latonia Moore was Fraccaro’s equal, showing the same power but with considerably more warmth. And she is as much a communicator as a singer.

Jill Grove brought unusual dimension and humanity to a convincing portrayal of Amneris (Aida’s spiteful rival). In the final act, at least for a moment, you almost felt sorry for her.

Reinhard Hagen’s Ramfis, Ashraf Sewailam’s King and Mark S. Doss’ Amonasro were among the noteworthy portrayals in the strongly cast secondary characters. And the chorus was uniformly excellent, singing with poise and conviction, under chorus master Charles Prestinari.

Director Andrew Sinclair made efficient use of Rhodes’ sets, effectively deploying his considerable forces on stage. During the “triumphal scene,” there was a relatively short procession in favor of dancing choreographed by Kenneth von Heidecke.

At least some of Heidecke’s choreography picked up on the playfulness of the set. Despite the fantastical nature of Rhodes’ design, Sinclair took a rather literal view of the opera. At one point, he was even more literal than Verdi intended.

In the score, when Radames realizes he has unwittingly betrayed his country and then is discovered with Aida and Amonasro by Amneris, he sends Aida and Amonasro off before giving himself up. We find out in the next act that Amonasro has been killed.

Sinclair, however, has the priest kill Amonasro on the spot.

That seems gratuitous, even excessive. But unlike the rest of the opera, not excessive in a good way.